By Lucas Leone, Max Holdsworth, Luke Hopkins and Alex Houghton
At a time of increasingly high tension due to the never-ending Cold War, the Soviet Union took a bold step by enforcing Communist law in Afghanistan. What the Russians had not expected to encounter was the steel plated will of the Afghani people, a contributing factor to the U.S.S.R.'s demise.
Background Information
Afghanistan, beginning with its independence from Britain in 1919, had been immersed in Soviet influences
As the Afghanis, under their King Amanullah, struggled to free themselves from British rule, they turned to the Soviets.
King Amanullah
The Soviets were the first to officially recognize Afghanistan and provided them
with aid in the form of money, technology, and weapons, but King Amanullah was
kept wary of them
Afghanistan entered a period of Kings, succeeding one another rather quickly and inconspicuously through a series of assassinations and coups
Then, King Mohammed Zahir Shah took power and ruled relatively effectively for four decades (1933-1973)where he too was ousted by a coup. During his rule, however, he was able to receive aid from both the US and Soviet Union while keeping neutral status in the Cold War arena.
King Mohammed Zahir Shah
In July 1973, with the help of the Soviets, Mohammed Daoud Khan, a former prime
minister under the Zahir, was able to take power from the King. When the Zahir was
away in Italy for eye treatment, Daoud cemented his own power as president of a
new one party system. (National Revolutionary Party)
Mohammed Dauod Khan
Daoud was determined to be the actual leader of Afghanistan dismissing some officials and hiring other against communist counsel. Despite this rebelliousness, Daoud wished to keep close ties with the Soviet Union even as they were beginning to disintegrate.
Afghanistan still voted with the Soviet bloc, and Soviet influence in the form
of aid kept and western involvement at a distance. For the most part, Daoud
agreed with Soviet economics, as he drew up his own similarly overambitious ‘seven year plans’ and the state still had incredible control over the economy.
The arguments Afghanistan and the Soviet Union had could be summed up in Daoud’s words that wrapped up a failing diplomatic meeting in Moscow in April of 1977.
“We will never allow you to dictate to us how to run our country or whom to employ in Afghanistan. How and where we employ the foreign experts will remain the exclusive prerogative of the Afghan State. Afghanistan shall remain poor, if necessary, but free in its acts and decisions”.
In the end, Daoud achieved little of the reforms he wished to accomplish, and when he lost Soviet support, his fate was sealed. A coup led by communist Afghani generals had him ousted within a year of his failed diplomatic mission.
How the USSR Became Involved in Afghanistan
The invasion of Afghanistan by the Communist Soviet Union was due to Cold War related tensions and the pursuit of the USSR to become an Imperial power.
In April 1978, the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, the Afghani Communist body, rose to power through the Saur Revolution.
An Afghan University right after the Saur Revolution; shows women and how they were allowed to study
Because of the irreligious attributes of Communist ruling, the Afghan party suffered from low support from the mainly religious Muslim population. So,
The party's President, Nur Muhammad Taraki, requested assistance from the USSR in their dominance over the Islamic population. And, initially, Russia began to aid Afghanistan solely by sending military equipment.
Later, in September 1979, the past Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin overthrew Taraki, becoming the President.
Due to various Russian suspicion that Amin was related to the US CIA and subsequent KGB reports, though probably invalid, confirming Amin's American affiliation...
The USSR began, in December 1979, to increase aid to the Communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan by sending in Russian troops.
Further Russian Interest in Afghanistan
Besides the growth of the Worldwide Communist Party, a Marxist ideology, Russia had to gain...
Deterrence of US interference in Euro-Asian affairs
Territory in Southwest Asia
Possible containment of Muslims
Soviet Action in Afghanistan
The Afghani people wanted the Soviets out of their country, despite promises of social and political reform.
Free education, land for the poor, and woman's rights were not enough to persuade the historically conservative and religious Afghan population.
On March 15, 1979, Muslim residents rioted in the city of Herat, destroying Communist symbols and killing party officials. Government leaders in Kabul, Afghanistan's capitol, began to panic, and asked for immediate intervention from Soviet troops to help extinguish the uprising.
Communist President Takari
Hafizullah Amin
Following Taraki's assassination in September, Russian forces took swift action; by December, President Amin was murdered by the Soviets
The Soviet's intentions were to train the Afghan army, take hold of key cities and roads, and preserve the Communist party within the government.
Russia believed their troops would occupy Afghanistan for only six months to a year. However, Afghani resistance made the Russian's objective easier said than done, as the opposing sides would rage war for the following nine years.
Soviet war in Afghanistan
After the murder of Amin, the Soviets placed Babrak Kamal as the new president of Afghanistan.
On December 24th, 1979, Russian forces started their invasion.
The graphic above shows Soviet positions, as the Communists seized major cities around the edge of the country.
More than 80,000 Soviet soldiers occupied Afghanistan within the first six months of the operation.
In 1980, the United States, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia began funding the mujahideen, Afghanistan's resistance army.
Babrak Karmal
A clip from the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" which shows the Russian takeover of Afghanistan
United States Involvement (Alex, sources 5 and 6)
US involvement began in 1973 after Afghan Prince Muhammad Daoud seized the throne with the help of Soviet Russia.
Russia, in hopes becoming an imperial power and spreading Communism, began creating a sphere of influence within Afghanistan.
Due to the fear of Communism spreading, the CIA immediately jumped into action
Through Pakistani Intelligence, the CIA got in contact with Afghani rebel forces and started supporting them.
After becoming allies with Iran and Pakistan, the United States was able to smuggle weapons into Afghanistan for the rebels.
In 1977, the Nationalities Working Group was established to creating deeper ethnic tensions within Soviet held Afghanistan
CIA covertly broadcasted anti-Soviet propaganda via radio into Afghanistan.
US starts training some of Pakistan’s military.
The US then prevents Russia from gaining control of the Persian Gulf through the “Carter Doctrine” which allowed military force to be used to prevent any other countries from gaining control of it.
Due to consistent losses and rebellion, Russia withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 1989.
Currently, America’s involvement in Afghanistan is due to the aiding of the rebel forces who had become the “terrorist” that America fears.
CIA Director William Casey Visiting Afghani training camp
This video goes in depth with how the US used Afghanistan for their own goals
The Three Key Aspects our Audience Should Understand
The USSR became involved in Afghanistan to strengthen the Afghan Communist Party against domestic problems and Cold War related affairs.
The United States got involved to weaken the Soviet Union and further prevent the spread of communism by supplying rebel forces such as the Taliban.
Afghanistan was torn apart by the Cold war and was not always under constant conflict as it has been since the Soviet invasion and United States intervention.
Russians in Afghanistan
By Lucas Leone, Max Holdsworth, Luke Hopkins and Alex HoughtonAt a time of increasingly high tension due to the never-ending Cold War, the Soviet Union took a bold step by enforcing Communist law in Afghanistan. What the Russians had not expected to encounter was the steel plated will of the Afghani people, a contributing factor to the U.S.S.R.'s demise.
Background Information
with aid in the form of money, technology, and weapons, but King Amanullah was
kept wary of them
minister under the Zahir, was able to take power from the King. When the Zahir was
away in Italy for eye treatment, Daoud cemented his own power as president of a
new one party system. (National Revolutionary Party)
of aid kept and western involvement at a distance. For the most part, Daoud
agreed with Soviet economics, as he drew up his own similarly overambitious ‘seven
year plans’ and the state still had incredible control over the economy.
How the USSR Became Involved in Afghanistan
Further Russian Interest in Afghanistan
Soviet Action in Afghanistan
A clip from the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" which shows the Russian takeover of Afghanistan
United States Involvement (Alex, sources 5 and 6)
This video goes in depth with how the US used Afghanistan for their own goals
The Three Key Aspects our Audience Should Understand
Sources:
1. http://www.e-ir.info/2010/01/03/the-soviet-union’s-last-war/
2. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB57/soviet.html
3. http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/rodric-braithwaite/russians-in-afghanistan-part-I
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7883532.stm
5. http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=afghanwar_tmln
6. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB57/us.html
7.http://www.afghanland.com/history/independence.html
8.http://www.afghanland.com/history/biography/daoud.html
9.http://www.biography.com/people/king-mohammed-zahir-shah-9540049